Beyond Blood

Angels and Demons - Part Two

As promised!
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Chapter 14: Angels and Demons
Part Two

All the little puzzle pieces I'd collected began to make a clearer picture. No wonder Gwydion was making a show of throwing his weight around while maintaining distance from any scandal if he wished to prove himself deserving of his new title - a title Taran had refused.

Could that explain the tension between them?

No. Whatever soured their relationship with rivalry went far deeper than that.
Gwydion went for another dig, one that made me both embarrassed and oddly ashamed.

"If Taran had bothered to accept the position that is now mine, maybe he'd have felt confident enough to finally claim a human without help from another."

Wren shoved past me to loudly correct, "I gave her my blood to save her, not to claim her. I want nothing to do with her. She's all his."

But his words were drowned out by a thunderous growl from Taran who flew towards the stage. He was quickly tackled by two vampires who to my human eyes, appeared from nowhere. The three of them wrestled to the floor, and the sound of their struggle alerted Taran's vampires. They appeared on the balcony above, a few making their way down the stairs to toss themselves into the fray.

"Don't interfere!" he barked at the vampires coming to aid him.

Things were already out of control.

I jumped as glasses smashed behind us, whipping around to see Ness being hoisted over the bar. He managed to scramble free and quickly lifted the water tap to spray at the astonished vampire who lurched back.

Wren dragged me back a few steps out of the way as Taran tossed one of his attacker's clear across the room.
It was my first bar fight. And a vampire one at that. I could barely make out what was happening they all moved with such swiftness.

A thud rattled the floor beneath my feet and a light chuckle followed. The drenched vampire had finally managed to pin Ness to the bar, not that Ness seemed to mind so much. He winked over his shoulder at the burly man holding him. "Is that a phone in your pocket or are ye just happy to see me, big guy?"

Using the stunned silence Ness caused, desperate to put a stop to this before someone got hurt or the panic squeezing my chest suffocated me, I stumbled out of Wren's grip with my hands splayed out beseechingly towards the vampires on the stage. "Stop this! We came to you for help. I came to you for help. I can't go to the police. I can't even tell my parents about it, or my friends, or explain to my lecturers why I've missed vital classes. I can't go home because home isn't safe. I nearly died. Does none of that mean anything to you?

"You vampires might be able to brawl and call it politics or business but I have to work to have a normal life away from all this one day, and none of you seem to give a shit, including the very one who saved me!" I pretended not to see Taran's brow furrow or Wren straightening defensively. Softening my tone, I tacked on, "I appreciate that you came to hear me out, I do, but if you won't help then you should leave. Peacefully."

I awaited a scolding from Taran, for him to remind me to keep my eyes down and not to speak out of turn, or even laughter from powerful creatures being threatened by a mouse. Amos did chortle, patting his lap as he rocked back on his chair. Mira considered me with a sly quirk of lips.

But Gwydion? He looked at me with something unnervingly akin to pity and spoke as if I was child as he explained, "There is no leaving this world behind now, you understand that don't you? From what Taran told me over the phone, the blood bond between you and Wren is strong, it may not disappear on its own and it will be hard to sever unless another vampire were to turn you, which you could consider I suppose."